Network News

Chris Cillizza is your man in Washington, breaking down the political news of the day -- 60 seconds at a time. Watch the show here -- live every day at 7 a.m. And if you've got a political issue you'd like to see broken down on The Fast Fix, send an e-mail.

The Fix Newsletters

Get the Morning Fix and the new Afternoon Fix delivered to your inbox or mobile device for easy access to the top political stories of the day. All you need is one click to get Morning Fix and Afternoon Fix!

The Christine O'Donnell fascination, examined

Tonight's Delaware Senate debate between marketing consultant Christine O'Donnell (R) and New Castle County Executive Chris Coons (D) will be carried live on CNN and co-moderated by the network's lead anchor Wolf Blitzer.

Judging from that treatment, a casual viewer might conclude that the race for Vice President Joe Biden's old seat is among the most competitive in the country.

In Oregon, Sen. Ron Wyden (D) holds an average 16-point lead over someone named Jim Huffman (R).

And, in New York, appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) holds a similar 16-point average lead over former Rep. Joe DioGuardi (R) -- best known for being the father of former "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi -- in the race for the seat being vacated by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

A quick Nexis search for "Christine O'Donnell and Chris Coons" turned up 658 newspaper stories and wire reports over the past six months. Similar searches turned up 160 stories in the New York Senate race and just 83 in the Oregon contest.

And, it's a certainty that none of the debates in either New York or Oregon will be carried on live television anywhere outside -- maybe -- their home states.

On one level, it's easy to understand the crush of attention being bestowed on O'Donnell.

* She pulled off a historic upset over Rep. Mike Castle in last month's Republican primary and, in so doing, became the most high-profile example of tea party successes in the 2010 election.

It's also not unique to this election cycle that long-shot candidates -- hello Ron Paul! -- draw attention that outruns their actual chances.

But, it is important to keep O'Donnell in context. She is a decided long shot to even come close to being competitive in Delaware, and there are at least 15 Senate races that are closer, according to public polling, at the moment.

Covering her is one thing. Covering her as though her race will decide the fate of the Senate is quite another.